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Gale Introduces New Digital Archive on Amateur Newspapers From the 19th Century

posted by Kayla Siefker
on Tue, 06/12/2018 - 11:32

The Largest Digital Archive of Amateur Newspapers in the U.S. Written by Young Adults, Deemed the Social Media of the Era

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – June 12, 2018 – Gale, a Cengage company, is introducing a new digital archive that’s considered the social media of the 19th century and gives students and researchers a unique inside look at how teens and young adults of the period expressed themselves and their opinions to the world. Amateur Newspapers from the American Antiquarian Society is the largest and most extensive digital archive in the U.S., providing authentic newspaper writings published by the younger generation of the 19th century. The archive gives an unprecedented look at how youth viewed themselves, their hometowns, the country and the world around them during the era, drawing researchers into the world of America’s first youth subcultures. Read Gale’s blog about the new archive, here: http://bit.ly/2JCCtkj.

This one-of-a-kind archive features tens of thousands of issues, and includes editorials, original short fiction, essays, poetry and more. It provides an abundance of resources for researchers looking to make connections with the era, and delivers compelling insight into the voice of young Americans of the period. By providing a broader understanding of amateur publications in the 19th century, researchers can compare the political and social issues facing young adults of the time with those confronting society today.

Amateur Newspapers’ extraordinary view into youth culture of the 19th century makes it one of the most significant collections of adolescent journalism that holds a unique place in the history of journalism.

Amateur Newspapers from the American Antiquarian Society source archives offers:

• more than 80,000 pages of content, making it the largest and most comprehensive resource of its kind for the study of 19th century youth culture;

• over 3,000 individual newspaper titles from 48 states in the U.S. and several from Canada; and

• insight into the interests and lives of ordinary people and youth during the 19th century, rather than big-business printers and publishers.

“Amateur Newspapers provides a historical window into society and cultural life in the 19th century from a youth perspective, a populace not represented by large printers and publications of the time,” said Seth Cayley, vice president of Gale Primary Sources. “The collection’s breadth and depth gives researchers, students, faculty and librarians a wealth of reliable content to make connections and advance scholarship.”

Amateur Newspapers from the American Antiquarian Society is currently available. Gale will showcase the new archive at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, June 22-25 in New Orleans at the Gale booth #2331.

NOTE TO REVIEWERS: If you would like to review this archive and would like trial access, please contact Kayla Siefker, 248-699-8456, [email protected].

About Cengage and Gale
Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. The company serves the higher education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, a Cengage company, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 60 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.